A World Without Mosquitoes, Dengue & Chikungunya

No need to cover yourself up in the evenings, doesn’t need
to bother about letting your child play outside, no itching, no phit phat
phatttt!! You don’t need to carry an electrified bat all evening to hunt down
the little monsters :P But is this even possible?

Monsoons are arriving super soon and being a mother, I dread
mosquitoes as they cause serious diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria and
many more! Although we prep ourselves for the night with a good mosquito net
for our cot and use our favourite Goodknight Activ+ System but still hearing about
these dreadful diseases we get much worried about the baby. So what are these
diseases and how do you prevent yourself and your kids from them?

Chikungunya

Chikungunya
is a disease caused and transmitted by mosquitoes. Termed from the Kimakonde
language, ‘chikungunya’ means ‘becoming contorted’ – rightly coined as it
affects your bones causing joint pain. Joint pain and fever are the primary symptoms
of Chikungunya.

Chikungunya has many symptoms primarily begins with fever
and joint pain after a day or two since the virus enters in followed by nausea,
headache, rashes and fatigue. If not treated with the right medication it can
lead to neurological or cardiac issues.

Chikungunya is spread only by mosquito bite so preventing
yourself from getting bit will be the major preventive measure. It is said that
these mosquitoes bite during the day.

Try to keep your kids dressed in full sleeves if possible
and using Goodknight
Fabric Roll-On on their clothes might help!

Keep your surroundings clean and discard/clean up any
stagnant water immediately.

Do not hoard old items and storage as mosquitoes love dumped
spaces.

Always keep the drinking water covered and clean.

Clean your vegetable & fruit storage regularly and
discard any rotten foods quickly as these serve as a breeding ground for
mosquitoes.

You can use mosquito nets and screens to reduce the entry of
mosquitoes into your home.

Dengue Fever

Dengue
is another deadly disease caused and borne by mosquitoes. Dengue does have a
vaccine though but guess it’s not available in India yet! It is caused by Aedes
mosquitoes – the virus has five different types.

Dengue also has symptoms similar to Chikungunya. Starting
with severe fever, associated with muscle & joint pain, nausea, vomiting
and measles like rashes. The rashes begin like reddened/flushed skin and
aggravates.

How To Prevent Dengue

You can follow the same preventive measures mentioned above
for Chikungunya and in addition can avail the vaccine if available with your
physician.

That’s it guys. We cannot really have a world without
mosquitoes (atleast not for a few decades or half century I hope) but we can
try to protect ourselves from them and stay healthy! Healthy Family Happy
Family, right? 😊